


We're all thieves in the end

by HuyanaShadowheart



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Spoilers for Uncharted 4 (sometimes)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 13:09:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7685782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuyanaShadowheart/pseuds/HuyanaShadowheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You work for a museum, mainly as a guide and documentarist for the museum’s expeditions and excavations, when you meet the Drake brothers and Rafe Adler at a Gala for the first time – shortly before they go to Panama. You don’t see any of them again for a long while. Until Rafe contacts you 12 years later to recruit you for his quest to find Avery’s treasure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, let’s do this :D To be fair: neither is English my first language, nor have I played Uncharted 4 yet (watched two Let’s Plays of it though, so I know the story at least XD), so if I make any mistakes – feel free to correct me, I’ll appreciate it!  
> You can also read this on tumblr under itsjustsaladthoth! 
> 
> I don't own Uncharted or the characters that are part of this game series!

You let your eyes roam across the wide main hall of the museum you worked at. The room was filled with chatting people dressed elegantly for the occasion. A small stage with a podium and a few chairs was set up at the other side of the room, in between the two main staircases that lead up to the first floor, essentially blocking the way to the Renaissance art gallery – which at this time of day was closed anyway.

You sighed and took a sip of your glass of champagne. The annual Gala held for the donors of the museum not only required the whole staff to attend, but to dress up as well. And you really wished you could swap your high heels for a pair of comfy trainers. You directed your attention away from your drink and towards the entrance doors, through which three men were currently entering.

All three of them wore tuxedoes.  Two of them had brown hair, the third one had his black hair slicked back. You turned towards your co-worker, who had been silently observing the room exactly the way you had just a moment before.

“Hey, Tommy, who are those guys?” you asked and pointed to the three men, who were scanning the crowd now. Your colleague gave you a reaction you didn’t expect.

“Ugh, who invited that bunch of thieves?” he scoffed. You raised an eyebrow and looked at him confused.

“They’re what now?”

“Treasure hunters. But not the sort of treasure hunters that excavates stuff for museums, not like us. They sell whatever they can find to the highest bidder. You know, to make the most out of it?”

You nodded slowly, wanting to remark that surely just because they did their job, didn’t make them bad people, right? But Tommy stopped you before you could say anything.

“Honestly, if I might give you some advice – stay away from them. They’re criminals.” Your colleague emptied his glass and left you after mumbling something about talking to your boss about the treasure hunters. You in turn stayed were you were and couldn’t help but stare at the three men.

_Treasure hunters, huh? Guess, their life must be a gazillion times more interesting than mine. At least when it comes to adventures._

You noticed that one of the brown haired guys was staring at you as well, giving you a smug grin before turning back towards his companions. You felt your face heat up and quickly turned away. In an attempt to get away from the three of them, you went towards the temporarily set up bar to get drink. You ordered a scotch on the rocks and fought off the urge to see if he was staring at you again.

Why in god’s name where you acting like a fourteen year old when they saw their crush across the hall in school?! Okay, it wasn’t really a crush – yet. But you definitely felt attracted to that guy and you couldn’t really explain why. Men like him were normally not your type. You liked the calm ones, the ones you could do easy conversation with and didn’t have to worry that they would run off into danger as soon as the call of adventure beckoned.

“I sincerely hope they serve nice scotch here,” a voice next to you suddenly jerked you from your thoughts. You turned your head and looked at the man from before.

“Oh, it’s quite nice actually. I’d definitely recommend it,” you replied with a small smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

“Ah, a woman with knowledge of liquor. Although I shouldn’t be surprised. A gorgeous woman like yourself surely knows her stuff and a lot more.” He grinned at you before ordering a scotch for himself and, after a questioning gaze back at you, one for you as well.  Damn, was he flirting with you?

He turned his body towards you and stretched out his hand to you.

“The name is Samuel Drake, by the way,” he introduced himself. “Most people just call me Sam.”

“Well, I’m convinced a treasure hunter like you knows his stuff as well. Y/N Y/L/N,” you replied and put your hand into his. Instead of shaking it, he drew your hand up to his lips and placed a light kiss on it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N.” He smiled at you again. “I do get the feeling, though, that your friend is not as happy with us introducing ourselves to each other, as I am.” Sam motioned in the direction from where Tommy was observing you both – and he really didn’t look all too happy about you two chatting.

“Ah, I’m sure it’s just because he thinks you’re criminals. Petty thieves, who risk their lives just to make more money. As in contrast to us, who work for a museum and receive a regular salary.”

Sam looked at you, the realization that you probably worked here, dawning on him and clearly showing on his face.

“Don’t worry. I think, you can’t be that bad. And, to be honest, we’re all just thieves in the end, aren’t we?” Sam nodded at your words and took a quick sip from his glass.

Later, Sam introduced you to his brother, Nate, and his other colleague, Rafe. You made polite conversation with both of them, quickly realizing that you would definitely be getting along better with the Drake brothers than with Mr. Adler.

What you didn’t know was that several years would have to pass in order for you to meet any of the three again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 12 years after first meeting the Drake brothers, business at the museum could be better, but when a certain treasure hunter shows up again, he brings with him an offer you cannot refuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be uploading the chapters I have so far over the next few weeks. Then everything should be up-to-date and then I only have to write new chapters. :)  
> Also, I was trying to implement some egyptology knowledge I got at Uni.

“And thanks to Ramesses II’s diplomatic skills, Egypt knew almost fifty years of peace. Which – amongst others – is one of the reasons why he is often regarded as one of the most powerful pharaohs of the Egyptian Empire. And that’s where I’m going to leave you now to give you the opportunity to explore the rest of the museum on your own, thank you for your time.” You concluded today’s last guided tour through the museum und left the group of visitors to wander through the halls in their own pace.

You sighed as you went back to your normal office. Today had been one of the really hard days with tours back to back, hardly giving you any time to take a breath – let alone get a snack. But it also meant that business was going well again. _But for how long?_

It had been twelve years since you first met the three treasure hunters at the Gala. And you hadn’t heard anything from any of them since. So, a few years and a couple of excavations and a huge legal quarrel later, you were on the brink of being fired from your dream job and were trying your best to get money rolling in, so the museum didn’t have to close, for good. Yeah, things weren’t going that well.

Your thoughts were interrupted when somebody grabbed you by the shoulder and turned you around to face them. “Hey, Tommy, what’s up?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I was calling your name four times.” He frowned, and you sighed.

“No, sorry. I was… lost in thought.” You looked at him with a raised eyebrow, motioning for him to finally tell you why he was trying to talk to you in the first place.

“Uh… There’s somebody in your office. He wants to speak to you, but I’m not sure you want to speak to him, so…”

“So you’re giving me a heads-up. Thanks, man. But I think, I can handle it.” You grinned at him and went to your office door. You opened said door and had to supress the urge to slam it shut again when you saw who stood in your office. Instead you slapped on a smile and entered the room.

“Mr. Adler! What can I do for you?” you asked in a polite tone, while closing the door. When you turned back to him, you were met with an analysing gaze out of eyes that sported a pale aqua colour on the outside of the iris, with a dash of reddish brown around his pupils. His stare made you uncomfortable, although you tried not to show it. At the same time, you couldn’t help but notice how well he had aged – it had been twelve years since you last saw each other, after all.

“Well, Y/N. I’m here to propose a business deal,” he said, following you with his eyes as you moved around your desk and sat down in your chair.

“A business deal?” You raised an eyebrow. What sort of business could he want to conclude with you?

“Yes. Listen. I know, things haven’t been too rosy for the museum lately. But I could help out in the financial department – if you were willing to come work with me.” You looked at him, stunned. How did he know about the problems your work place was facing at the moment? And more importantly, was he trying to buy you out? To get you to work with _him_?

“What sort of work would that be?” you inquired cautiously. A treasure hunter, who worked on the illegal side of the archaeological trade, surely could not have any use for a documentarist like yourself.

“I… heard you are a natural with riddles and puzzles, and I might need that sort of skill.”

You suddenly drew your guard up. Was he referring to the little side job you and your team had taken last year?

“Look, I don’t know, how you know about what happened in Syria, but I can assure you _that_ was a one-time thing. Treasure hunting is not really my area of expertise. Hell, I don’t even know how to use a gun, should it come to that.” You had jumped out of your chair, trying to stare him down. But he simply returned your glare coolly. That little incident with a strange, ancient puzzle box your team had found in Syria was the reason you had to fear for job in the first place. Or rather the lawsuit that had followed it. “And, also, I can’t just leave my job. I’m needed here.”

“No problem. I just donated a rather large sum to the museum, which should at least cover the cost for any more legal issues that might arise in the future.” Again, you could only stare at him, at a loss for words for a moment. Until your pride and anger over his careless behaviour towards money bubbled up. Sure, he had the money, he could afford to just donate a large sum to an almost completely ruined cultural institution.

“If you think, you can just buy me to do your dirty work and who knows what else, you are very wrong, Mr. Adler. I don’t see, how I could be any help in your search for whatever it is you’re after.”

He chuckled at that. No, the bastard outright _laughed_ at your words.

_Am I going insane?_ You asked yourself as you waited for Rafe to speak. He stood up, leaning in so close that your noses nearly touched. His voice was low, but his tone threatening and you could feel a shiver crawling down your spine.

“Alright, Miss Y/L/N. You’ll get a regular salary – more than you would ever get paid here. And, maybe, I’ll even throw in a little trinket, you can do with that what you please. I know, you could really use the money, Y/N.” He pulled away from you and smiled at you, knowing that he had already won. You sighed.

“Fine. But I want everything you just promised me in black and white, a proper contract.” He nodded, agreeing to your terms.

“Who is it that we’re actually after?” you asked, suddenly realizing that you had no idea what you were searching for.

Rafe’s smile widened to a grin. He only said one name.

“Henry Avery.”


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a year of working for Rafe Adler, he surprisingly reunites with a special person.

Nadine Ross was pacing back and forth in the hotel room Rafe had rented for you in Panama. You looked up from your laptop and watched her for a while.

“He should have been back by now. What the hell is taking so long?” Nadine muttered under her breath. You could see that she was anxious and worried by the way her whole body had tensed up.

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”

She looked at you, nodded and then dragged her hands through her hair with a sigh. Over the last year the two of you had somehow bonded over the fact that Rafe took turns yelling at either of you. Although it really wasn’t your fault – or Nadine’s. You just kept running into dead ends. Apart from that, Nadine knew how much you admired her for being a badass, and she had also taken it as her responsibility to teach you how to properly use a gun. For which you were really grateful.

“Anything on the black market yet?” Nadine inquired. You shook your head.

“Not even the tiniest whisper of a second Saint Dismas’ Cross.” This was your job: searching the internet for rumours of a second cross and, when you weren’t doing that, organising the existing clues and trying to find out as much about Avery and his treasure as you could. For a year you had worked for Rafe now and you could really understand his frustration over the search’s practically non-existent progress. But, to be honest, your head had revolved around another matter entirely.

Rafe had told you about the events in the Panamanian jail thirteen years ago. He had told you how they had discovered the empty Saint Dismas’ cross, about Vargas and how Sam had been shot when he, Rafe and Nate had fled the prison. Sure, you hadn’t been completely shut off from the world in the last thirteen years – there had been a number of other guys you had dated –, but you had to admit that deep down in your heart you had still hoped for Sam to come back for you. Now it didn’t matter anymore. He was gone. And you had been robbed of your chance to further develop your acquaintance with Samuel Drake.

“Well, just keep looking, okay?” Nadine said – and you, again, responded with a nod. This was what you were paid to do, and you would keep doing it until Rafe told you to stop. You had just opened the website of another auction house when the door to the hotel room opened.

“Rafe, you’re back! What the hell took you so long?!” Nadine snapped at him when he entered the room. Though you could hear the relieved undertone in her voice.

“It’s not my fault, Nadine. Our package here is a bit slow on his feet.” Rafe answered and pointed back towards the door – although he kind of stood in the way, so you couldn’t see who was standing behind him. But when said package spoke, you nearly fell of your bed.

“Hey! You try running out of a prison while trying to process what is actually happening, because you’re not being shot at and the guards just let you walk out of there.”

_Sam!_ Oh, how you had missed that sweet Bostonian accent. You couldn’t quite believe it yet, so you simply stared at him when he _finally_ made his way into the room and stood next to Rafe. He hadn’t seen you yet, but instead he was observing Nadine, trying to assess who she was and what she was doing here.

Rafe surprised you with his next words. And by the look on Nadine’s face, you weren’t the only one.

“You can thank me later, Sam. Come on, Nadine, let’s give Y/N and Sam some space. I’m pretty sure, they have some catching up to do.” It wasn’t very Rafe-like to just give you what you actually wanted. But Nadine obeyed and the two of them left the room, closing the door behind them.

When you looked back to Sam, he was staring at you, dumbfounded. Neither of you said a word for a while, and you nearly fell off your bed again, when you scrambled to feet and ran over to him. Pulling him into a tight hug, you buried your face in his shirt and only noticed that you were crying when your breath came out in ragged sobs. Sam silently wrapped his arms around you, holding you as tight as you were holding him.

“I… though that you were… dead. Rafe… he told me what happened. That you got… shot and that you fell. And–“ You stammered in between sobs and then completely broke down. Sam didn’t say anything, he simply rubbed his hands up and down your back and let you get it all out.

After a while the tears subsided and you looked up at him.

“How? How did you survive? How can you be here now?” You asked quietly.

“Well, I did get shot and I did fall down quite a drop, even crashed through a roof. But the prison doctors patched me back up and threw me into another cell. Honestly, I don’t know how I survived that. I only know that I almost never gave up the hope of seeing you and Nathan again. I’m so sorry that it took me so long to get back to you.” He raised one of his hands from your back up to your face to wipe away your tears and then gently stroke your cheek.

“I kept thinking about you, all those years. And I didn’t know if you would wait for me or if I would be too late, if – when – I got out of there.” Sam put on one of his smirks, before speaking again. “But I guess, I’m not the only one who has a lot to tell. How the hell did you end up here?”

You smiled up at him. “Well, Rafe pays me to be here.”

And so you told him all about how Rafe had recruited you, about your little adventure in Syria and that you had never really given up on Sam’s possible return.


	4. 4

Sam and you had spent the whole night in Panama talking. About you and your adventures, about Sam’s time in prison (you still shivered at the thought of the horrors he must have endured), and about the two of you. And you agreed that you would try to take it slow – actually, it was Sam’s idea, which surprised you, but you didn’t really mind. You hadn’t seen him in thirteen years and you wanted to get to know him better.

But nobody had prepared you for the next few weeks. The whole team had gone back to Scotland, where your days were filled with scouring the internet for clues, avoiding Rafe as best as you could (he had grown even more irritable now that Sam helped with the search, but you _still_ kept going nowhere.) and staring at Sam whenever he was the room. Didn’t even matter if he looked at you or not. You simply could not keep your eyes off him.

Why had nobody ever warned you how much one could long for the touch of another? And, god, how you wished, that those hands would touch you, roam over your body.

A slam next to you on the table jerked you from your daydream.  Apparently Nadine had brought in yet another box full of rubble. You didn’t know how many times she and Rafe had argued over Shoreline’s method of discovery – a.k.a using as much dynamite as they can –, but she had promised that her men would be more careful now.

But as you looked up from the screen of your laptop, it wasn’t Nadine standing next to you, it was Sam. And he had a very knowing smirk on his face.

“Didn’t wake you from a nice daydream, did I?” You felt yourself blushing, because he was _so_ right – and he knew it!

You tried to keep a straight face and willed your gaze back to the computer in front of you. The weather in Scotland was freezing, the ground frozen and covered in snow, making it harder to dig. But it gave Nadine’s men an excuse to use their dynamite.

“Well, actually, you did. I had just dreamt myself to a warmer and sunnier place than here,” you remarked. You heard him chuckle, and then footsteps coming towards you. You felt his arms wrap around you, his hot breath grazing your ear and cheek.

“Hm, I could think of something to warm us up,” he murmured into your ear. You couldn’t supress the little giggle that escaped your mouth. You turned your head and body, so you were facing him. Your face were only inches apart.

“What about Rafe or Nadine or any of their men? They could come barging in here at any moment,” you whispered. God, your lips were so close, if you would just lean in, just a tiny little bit. You bit your lip and dragged your eyes from Sam’s mouth back to his eyes. Those wonderful, blue-golden eyes that now had a slightly predatory glint to them.

“They’re far away, at the cathedral, and I think they’re gonna be busy for another few hours,” he replied. “What happened to wanting to take this whole relationship thing slow?” He cocked an eyebrow at you and you rolled your eyes at him.

“To hell with taking it slow,” you answered and finally closed the distance between your lips. Sam let a surprised moan slip from his lips, before he deepened the kiss and drew you closer to him. He must’ve smoked a cigarette before he came in here, you could still taste the tobacco on his tongue.

You broke the next kiss and tried to get some distance between you and Sam. Otherwise undressing would be really hard. He watched you for a moment as you unzipped your jacket and threw it on the floor, but then Sam followed suit and soon your clothes were lying in a messy pile on the floor. At least both of you still wore your underwear, which didn’t help much with the freezing cold. Sam noticed the goosebumps spreading over your body and took you back into his arms.

“Come here, sweetheart.” He gently took your face in his hands and pressed his lips against yours again. You sighed and melted into his gentle touch. His hands wandered from your face to your neck, your shoulder down your back. He firmly gripped your arse, lifted you up and sat you back down on the desk. You could tell that he got a tad nervous when he started to take off your bra, not only thanks to that growing tent in his pants. His hands started trembling lightly as he fidgeted with the clasp of your bra.

“Sorry, I guess, I’m a bit out of practice,” he joked. You took his hands in yours and looked at him.

“It’s fine, Sam. Don’t stress yourself about it. Here, just let me do it.” You unhooked your bra, threw it down to the pile of clothes and then wiggled out of your panties. “See? All done.” You grinned up at him, while taking his hands again and pulling him closer to you. Your lips connected again and he took his hands from yours to pull down his pants. Sam kicked his underwear into a corner somewhere in the room, neither of you really cared.

Your hands went into his hair, his hands continued to explore your body. You bit down on his bottom lip in surprise when he entered you and he moaned against your mouth. You would have expected his thrusts to be slow at first and then build up speed, but it seemed he was a little more desperate than you thought.

You moved your hips in sync with his and soon both of you were moaning, panting and clawing at each other’s back, clinging to each other for support. Sam moaned your name and shuttered when he came inside you. And when you came, his name fell from your lips in turn.

He leaned his forehead against yours, trying to catch a breath and calm down. You looked at him, studying his face.

“Next time, let’s do this at a warmer place, please.” He murmured. You chuckled in response.

“And we’ll take it slow, promise?” He smirked at you.

“Promise.”


	5. 5

Rafe had been very precise in his instructions before sending you and Sam to Madrid to an auction where you were supposed to meet an informant and confirm a rumour about a possible sale of a cross that looked very similar to the cross of Saint Dismas. Sam was supposed to be the muscle of the operation, and he volunteered to come with you. To be honest, you were glad, Sam was the one accompanying you and not some Shoreline guy or Rafe himself. Nadine was out of the equation anyway, since she had to overlook her little army’s work in Scotland. So you had been pleased to hear Sam would come with you – you wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on the job any other way.

The two of you had grown closer since the incident in your personal research room. And you were almost certain everybody knew about it, especially since Sam found it very hard to keep his hands off you. It didn’t have to be a very sexual gesture, most of the time he simply wanted to hold you or his hand _unintentionally_ brushed against yours when you were standing next to each other.

And now, you were here. The auction was held in the gala hall of a private baroque-style villa. People dressed in expensive dresses and suits were scattered in small groups across the room, either talking to each other or admiring the numerous artefacts in the room, all kept safely behind glass. You and Sam stood in front a particularly beautiful Egyptian piece and you could hardly contain your excitement at the sight of the testimony of wonderful craftsmanship.

“Oh, Sam, look! What a beautifully crafted block statue. Black granite, possibly 18th dynasty. This piece looks exactly like the block statue of Amenhotep in the British Museum in London. Hm, no. The nose is a little different. And the hieroglyphs aren’t executed _that_ well. But still, a magnificent piece.” While you had been rambling about the artefact, Sam had put his arm around your waist and now he couldn’t help but chuckle at your words. You turned around to him.

“What?” you asked.

“I just think, you’re adorable when you’re rambling about old pieces of stone,” he grinned and put his other arm around your waist, so he could pull you closer to him.

“Well, you’re not different when you’re talking about Avery, you know.” You placed your hands on his chest and smiled up at him. But when he leaned in for a kiss, your smile fell from your lips and Sam, now worried that he had done something wrong, pulled back a little.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Nothing, it’s just… The block statue reminded me of my colleagues back at the museum and I wondered if they’re okay and how everything’s going,” you replied. “Also, if it weren’t for my job at the museum, we would never have met.”

Sam shook his head at that.

“Nonsense, we just would have run into each other somewhere else. I’m 100% certain that we would have met at some point in our lives, love for artefacts and history or not.” He pulled you closer and pressed his forehead against yours. You closed your eyes and sighed a little.

“Maybe,” you whispered. “Anyway, I’m glad we did get the chance to meet – and more, even if it took us about thirteen years for that other thing.”

“Me too,” Sam replied and then pulled you in for a tender kiss. You kissed him back, but before things could go any further, you were interrupted by an impatient cough. You pulled away from each other and turned around towards a middle aged man.

“Miss L/N, Mister Drake, I assume? I have the information you need,” he said.

–

You groaned as you left the elevator to the hotel room you shared with Sam.

“Rafe will be so pissed, when we tell him that nothing new came from that meeting,” you grumbled.

Sam had his arm thrown around your shoulders as you went to the hotel room door.

“He will have to accept the fact that maybe there is no second Saint Dismas’ cross,” he replied in an uncertain tone.

You turned around to him while you opened the door. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Sam shook his head and you smiled at him. You entered the room, Sam directly behind you. You could feel his arms wrap around you once more, sliding down to the hem of your dress.

“But to be honest, darling. I have something else entirely on my mind right now, and I would really appreciate it if we could drop the Rafe subject for a few hours,” he growled in your ear, “Because I will make sure you certainly forget about this tonight.” You closed your eyes and leaned back into his embrace, while his hands slowly wandered upwards along your sides. He was trying to find the zipper of your dress and you felt like he needed a little help. So you lifted your left arm and undid the zipper that ran along the left side of the dress.

“Thank you for that,” Sam mumbled and placed a kiss on your temple. You turned around to him, discarding your dress in the process and looked up into his eyes that were filled with lust and affection.

You undid his bowtie, while he struggled a little to free himself of the jacket. And, biting your lower lip, you stepped closer, pressed your body against his and looked up at him through your eye lashes.

“What was it you were going to make me forget again?” you whispered, throwing the bowtie across the room with a flick of your wrist and then started undoing the buttons of his shirt. His hands came around again and he rested them on your hips.

“Oh, I’ll make sure you’re gonna forget everything around you. The only thing that matters is you and me and this moment,” he mumbled and leaned in for a slow, but passionate kiss.  Once you had freed him from his shirt, your hands danced over his chest and stomach, tracing the scars he had, the only evidence left from his time in jail.

Sam then picked you up and carried you over to the bed where the two of you spent the whole night in a passionate embrace, your bodies moving an excruciatingly slow, but blissful rhythm.


	6. 6

As you had predicted back in Spain, Rafe was pissed. He was furious and he let you and Sam feel that. You had come back to Scotland a few hours ago and immediately went to Rafe to report to him. Now, he was pacing back and forth in front of you, a few strands of his normally slicked back hair had come loose and hung in front of his face, bouncing with every step.

“Tell me again, why I’m actually paying you, when you can’t even secure the one thing that we need?!” he growled at you. He had been doing this for over an hour now, grumbling and occasionally questioning your abilities. To be honest, he scared you when he got like that.

You could feel Sam tensing up next to you, his hold on your hand had increased in pressure with every doubt Rafe had uttered in your direction.

“Calm down, Rafe. It’s not like Y/N didn’t tell you from the beginning that the chances of finding another intact cross are incredibly slim,” Sam snapped. Rafe’s head jerked towards Sam, his eyes filled with anger and frustration.

“You stay out of this, Sam. Or do you want to tell me that I should abandon the search for Avery’s treasure?” Rafe had come closer with each word he’d spoken, he was so close now that his nose almost touched Sam’s. The two men stared at each other, gazes locked, as they tried to stare the other down.

“No, I wasn’t saying that. But maybe you should. Seeing as you’ve spent a whole hour of insulting my _girlfriend_ and I won’t let you continue to do that,” Sam sneered. You shot him a surprised look, you knew that what the two of you shared wasn’t exactly a one-time-thing, but you hadn’t talked about your relationship yet. Not really.

Rafe shook his head. “I would, if Y/N could do her job properly.”

Sam let go of your hand and prepared to draw his arm back for a swing at Rafe’s face. You pushed yourself between the two men and put your hands on Sam’s chest. “Sam, stop.” He looked at you, his face confused for a moment. “You don’t have to do this. I can very well defend myself, and besides, Rafe is right. We need this cross, and –“, you looked back at Rafe, “– I will keep looking, until I find something.”

With that you took Sam’s hand and dragged him away from Rafe, not wanting to leave them alone together out of fear they might actually start to hit each other when you weren’t there.

-

Months had passed since your return from Madrid and you had kept your promise to keep searching for the Saint Dismas’ cross. You hadn’t had a choice anyway, not if you wanted to keep making money and working with Sam, Rafe and Nadine. Finally, one of the countless rumours had proven to be true: an intact Dismas’ cross was to be sold at an auction held at the Rossi Estate in Italy.

You had just talked to Nadine and gotten an update on the plan that you would be joining her and Rafe at the event; the plane for Italy would leave in two days.

On your way back to your quarters, you had to walk past your make-shift office. You noticed the door stood slightly ajar and light fell out of the room into the corridor. You frowned, thinking to yourself that you could’ve sworn you’d turned off the light and closed the door when you left.

You took a step closer to the door and could hear somebody rummaging around inside. You nudged the door and opened it a little more until you could see Sam, frantically searching and pulling sheets of paper together to a big pile. He had his back to the door and hadn’t noticed you yet.

“Sam?” He whirled around, he stared at you, shocked. “What are you doing?” You stepped into the room and closer to him, closing the door behind you. Upon further inspection you could see that the sheets of paper he held in his hands, were your and Rafe’s notes. He had possibly your whole work of the last two years in his hands.

“Y/N. I thought… you were already in bed. What are you doing here?” You got closer to him again and Sam put the papers back on the desk, putting himself between you and the documents.

“I was on my way back, but then I saw light in here. Although I could’ve sworn, I had turned everything off when I left.” You didn’t let him out of your sight for one second. He in turn couldn’t look at you, he stared at the floor and then sighed.

“Babe, I’m so sorry. I just… I have to find Nate. I have to find my brother and at least try to convince him to search for Avery’s treasure with me. Please, tell me you understand.” Sam took a step forward and stretched his hands out for you. You staggered back.

“And that’s why you’re stealing my work?! You could have just asked, Sam!”

“I couldn’t. I’m sorry. I know how much the museum and your colleagues mean to you and that Rafe pays for everything. If he knew that you helped me…”

“So, you were just going to leave me here? Steal away in the night and take all the documents with you?”

“No. I… I wanted to ask you to come with me. Please, Y/N, we can do this together.”

Your back came up against the wall. You still stared at Sam, unable to believe that this was really happening.

“You know, I can’t do that.” For a moment, the room fell silent. You and Sam stared at each other, realizing that none of you were willing to give this up. But you couldn’t accompany him. You sighed.

“Fine. Go. Take the papers with you.”

“But what about Rafe?” Sam looked at you, concern showing in his face.

You closed the distance between the two of you and smiled up at him. You cupped his face with your hands.

“I have made backup copies of everything.  Now go.” Sam grinned for a moment and pulled you in for a kiss. He then gathered the papers and left, glancing back at you as he walked through the door.

You were certain, Rafe would kill you for this. But you had to hope, Sam and Nate would get to the treasure before him.


	7. 7

Rafe had already scared you when you and Sam had come back from Madrid and you had told him that nothing had come from the meeting there. But this time had been different. You were genuinely terrified of your current employer. To be fair, you had actually expected it from him – heck, you had even counted on pushing up the daisies soon. Or at least to get fired and thus ruin your former workplace and your colleagues and friends in the process. But nothing had happened. Except from Rafe shouting abuse at you and placing you under surveillance 24/7.  You were still going to attend the auction at the Rossi estate with him and Nadine and you were going to continue to work for them.

You could only assume that Nadine had put in a good word for you. Most likely something along the lines of: “We’ve got backups of everything. And we still need her.” If that was the case, you were eternally grateful to her for standing up to you. “And after this is over, I’m gonna need a _really_ long holiday,” you muttered to yourself as you straightened the dress you had bought for the auction and then checked your appearance in the hotel room mirror. You hadn’t heard anything from Sam, but you were confident that he would be there.

 _I wonder what he told Nathan._ The car ride to the estate was quiet, nobody spoke a word. Rafe ignored you. Something he had always done since your return from Spain. You didn’t mind, though. You were glad, you could focus your thoughts on tonight. Watching the Italian countryside give way to a rougher, coastal landscape, your mind once again brought you back to Sam. You worried about him, of course, especially if he showed up at the estate tonight. You had no idea what Rafe would do if he saw him again. And that scared you. The constant fear of not being able to tell what Rafe might do next had turned into a nagging humming that you tried to keep as far back in your mind as you could. But it was still there. And right now it slowly inched closer to the conscious part of your being.

Rafe suddenly turned his attention towards you, just as you reached the pompous gates of the Rossi estate. “Nadine’s men will wait outside, but I will have my eye on you. So don’t try anything stupid, understood?” You nodded. Better to comply with his orders than defy them and provoke him. As much as you hated it, there was too much at stake. You didn’t want to risk your friends’ ruin just so you could talk back to Rafe Adler. No, you would simply stay quiet, put on a smile and try not to fuck up too much.

You had gotten used to the sight of elegantly, and expensively, dressed people, so didn’t even bother checking out the other guests. As soon as you entered the villa, Rafe vanished, muttering something about checking the order of the auctioned items. Which left you in the company of Nadine, who seemed hell bent on not letting you out of her sight. Or not so much as her words surprised you. “Could you wait at the bar for me?” You blinked at her for a second, confused. “I need to say hello to someone.” “Oh, sure. No problem. I’ll be at the bar then,” you answered and watched her go off towards an elderly man in a tuxedo, who was shamelessly smoking a cigar. You shrugged and then went to find the bar.

A few minutes after you had located the bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks – earning a small, judgemental look from the barkeeper -, Nadine joined you. “Mind if I stay here for a little bit longer?” you inquired. “No, not at all. Just don’t wander off, okay? I doubt, I could save you from Rafe a second time.” She ordered another two drinks and then wandered off into the crowd again. You sighed, finished your drink and then ordered another one. You knew that Sam would tell you to slow down, or to at least let him join in on the fun of getting drunk.

Just as you thought about Sam, Rafe suddenly appeared next to you. You flinched at the sight of him. He leaned in close, whispering in your ear: “I know, you and Sam share a… bond of some kind. And although I can’t prove it, I’m certain you helped him steal the documents.” “You can’t prove it, so why tell me? I told you, I talked to Nadine that night and then went to sleep. I had no idea what Sam was up to.” You kept your gaze on the crowd and raised an eyebrow as you thought you saw Sam weaving his way around people, in a waiter’s outfit. He spotted you by the bar and his eyes widened for a second, before his gaze turned soft. You could tell he wanted to make his way towards you, to talk to you, but he then saw Rafe next to you and his whole demeanour changed. He shot Rafe a warning glare, who in return focused his attention back to you. He put his hand around your arm, gripping it tightly and turning you to face him. “I’m warning you, Y/N. If you step out of line again, I will–“ You glared at him. “What? You’ll destroy my former workplace, causing my friends to lose their jobs? You’ve said that before.” His grip around your arm tightened even more. “Well, maybe knowing that Sam’s life will be on the line if you cross me again, will help you obey orders,” he growled.

You didn’t know what to say to that. Rafe nodded, pleased with himself and let go of you. “Stay where I can see you,” he said before going after Nadine. You decided to stay at the bar and jugged down your second drink to steady your nerves.

The rest of the evening went by without incident. Until the lights went out, Rafe had been waging a bidding war with the elderly man Nadine had talked to before. When the backup power kicked in, the cross was gone and you tried hard to suppress your grin. “That cheeky bastard,” you muttered under your breath. Of course, Sam would never have let Rafe get the cross. Which would make your job harder, but you would survive. Hopefully. Rafe went after Sam, which only earned him a little squabble with a security guard. The ballroom went on lockdown and security started to search everybody. You made your way to Nadine, who insisted on you staying by her side.

Was that sweat on her face and arms? And did that really look like forming bruises? “What the hell happened to you?” She grabbed your arm, dragging you along with her. “No time to talk. We better go.” The sound of gun fire from outside gave you a hint as to what was going on. Nadine let go of your arm when she realized that you were going to keep up with her pace. The security waved you through and you practically ran to the car. Rafe was already inside and you and Nadine quickly made your way onto the backseat.

The driver raced the vehicle back to the hotel and one thought lingered in your mind as you looked back at the Rossi estate. _Hope Sam’s gonna be okay._


	8. 8

 Rafe’s behaviour towards you hadn’t changed in the days following the “Rossi incident”, as everyone started to call it, and you were trying your best to stay under his radar. His threat on Sam’s life should you disobey him again, still rang in your ears. The nagging feeling of worry in the back of your mind became more and more present, making you shiver from time to time with the cold and dreadful images of Sam’s lifeless body that your mind conjured up just to torture you. And to remind you, to keep doing your job.

Despite having absolutely no idea why you were still here, you fulfilled every one of Rafe’s demands and orders. _Keep your head low and survive another day._ Which mainly consisted in staying in your room, browsing the internet on your laptop or scouring old books and texts while at least one of Nadine’s men stood guard outside your door. You were surprised that Rafe seemed to deem you important enough to be watched over whilst he could’ve needed your guardian elsewhere to prepare for Nate and Sam’s undeniable arrival.

So, of course, you were hunched over your laptop again when a notification popped up that you’d received a new e-mail. _Who could that be_ , you thought and stole a quick glance out the small window which simply showed you the typical Scottish weather you had gotten used to: rain and wind and biting cold. _Urgent matters_ read the subject line of the e-mail and listed your old colleague Tommy as the sender. You knitted your brows and then clicked on the message to finally read it.

_Y/N,_

_I have no idea if you’ll be able to read this without somebody else intercepting the message, but a guy called today. Said his name was Sam, that you know him and that you need to call him. Hope, you’re not in too much trouble?_

After that you could see a phone number. Your hand reached for your phone and started typing the digits, but your mind was still trying to work out how Sam had gotten a hold of Tommy. You must’ve mentioned your former work place and your colleagues in more detail than you remembered. The phone beeped while trying to find a connection to the phone on the other line. You swallowed as the line finally clicked and Sam’s voice came on, carrying a confused “Hello?” to your ears.

“Sam,” you breathed. Suddenly you had a lump in your throat. You wanted to tell him so many things. How much you loved him, how you feared for his life because of Rafe and him constantly putting himself into harm’s way for other people, how much you missed him. But it all stopped dead on your tongue when you heard Sam’s breath hitch on the other end of the line as he heard your voice.

“Y/N, are you alright? Did you get hurt? Did… Rafe hurt you in any way?” Of course he would be worried about you. Sweet, caring Sam, who always looked out for everybody else but himself.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. Rafe’s got me under 24 hour surveillance, and a guard posted in front of my door. Feels like I’m grounded with a few extras. But no, he didn’t… hurt me or anything,” you stuttered. Hearing Sam’s voice again had your body flushed with relief and your heart ached for him. To touch him, to see his face, to simply be near him again. “Listen–“ “Sam, Rafe said–“ You both started to talk again and you could hear him chuckle through the phone.

“You go first,” he said. You could very visibly imagine the smirk that graced his lips in that moment. You closed your eyes, staying quiet for a moment longer, before you deeply in- and exhaled and then opened your eyes again.

“Sam, Rafe said… he’d… He’ll kill you if I help you. Well, I mean, he didn’t say it in those exact words. But he will… hurt you, if I cross him another time.” An uncomfortable silence followed your words and you wanted to ask if he was still there. But he was.

Sam sighed deeply. “I knew, he’d use our relationship against us. I should have been more careful. But I just couldn’t let him throw insults in your face while I’m in the room. God, I should never have made so obvious.” Oh, how you wished you could hug Sam right now. Wrap your arms around him and tell him that it wasn’t his fault. That you hadn’t been careful enough, either. “Sam…”

“No, no. You’re right. That’s over and done with. Can’t change the past, can we?” He always started to joke around when something really upset him. Tried to play it down, to let it seem as if he didn’t care that much, but he did. He cared so much and you loved him for that. You loved him for his weird sense of humour, his passion for his adventures, his love for his brother and his sensitive side, while he could also be protective and play the macho. “Listen, Y/N. The actual reason I wanted to talk to you, is because I wanted to help you. I know, Nathan’s probably gonna kill me for that. But… Avery’s grave is in Scotland. I have no idea if it’ll lead to anything or not. But it’s at the cemetery that belongs to St. Dismas’ cathedral. I just… wanted you to know that. You can do with the information what you want, but you should probably tell Rafe.”

You wanted to protest, but you could picture Sam on the other side raising a hand to stop you. “It won’t help either of us if you get hurt because you wanted to protect to me. Just tell Rafe or Nadine or whoever you want to look at the cemetery. Preferably _after_ Nate and I vanished again.” You both laughed quietly at that. Sam sighed again. “I love you, Y/N.” “I love you, too,” you replied. And then the line went dead and you got up to pace through your room while debating whether and _when_ you should tell Rafe about the cemetery.


End file.
